Method of freezing and packaging foods



March 18, R. P. ,FFETci-IERQJR 5.

um'non OF FREEZING AND mckmme FOODS Filed April 14... 1938 2 sn ets-sn et 1 INVENTOR...

ATTORNEYS.

March 1941. Y R. P. FLETCHER, JR 2, 35 209 METHOD OF FREEZING AND PACKAGING FODS Filed-A ril 14. 1938 2 Shuts-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS.

' 3 v I? ,INVENTOR. ioberzf'ffzei'cemfh Patented u Q I I j UNITED STATES" PATENT omen I f Q 2,235,209 Q Ms'rnon or FREEZING Ann PACKAGING v r'oons Robert P. Fletcher, Jr., Glencoe, 111.; assignor to Booth Fisheries Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Application April 14, 1938, SerialNo. 201,988

Claims. -'(01. 62-170) 4 My invention relates to a method and apparawalls that will not greatly interfere with heat tus for producing quick frozenfood products in transfer. Within this package is placed a meas- I attractive and sanitary packages. a ured quantity of the food product which may be It has long been known that many food prodfish, meats, vegetables, etc., the product being 5 ucts may be rapidly frozen whilefresh and if relatively lo s y packed therein and p jectin 5 stored at a low temperature will be fresh and a distance above the limits of the'side walls of palatable when thawed, in many respects equal the box. Thev material when packed in thisto the productat the time it was frozen. Howmanner will necessarily contain many voids or ever, the method of preparing such food products air pockets, but a quantity thereof will be placed has left many things to be desired in the matter in the box that will substantially fill all parts 10 of appearance, and in the matter of cost of prothereof without substantial air pockets when ducing a finished package that is sightly. compressed into-the limits of the box. In that An object of my invention is to provide for condition the box is placed within a form or mold, packing and freezing of the food product in'the the app s Preferably consisting of a metal carton that is delivered to the consumer, and also g i providing a relatively a e number of suc 15 to insure regularityin the shape of thepackage molds, the box fitting the mold, with substantial and the attractiveness of its appearance. Furaccuracy. The grid with its filled boxes is then thermore, in connection with such advantages, I pl ed between P e h gh wh ch a re r provide for complete enclosure, to avoid con-v era-ting medium at a low temperature s tamination, while at the same time :providingfor h and orce exerted to move the p es t 20 a full size view of thecontents through the trans- W h AS a Preliminary o h s a tion.

parent wrapper. a sheet of waxed paper or similar material is A further object is to provide for economy in placed over the filled boxes to protect the surcost of production by utilizing the means emfaces from any contamination. Sufiicientpres- I ployed to maintain the shape of the package, for sure .i exerted in order o m e the plates into 25 I increasing the heat transferarea of contact with direct contact with the grid, thus forcing the the refrigerating surface. By reason of the apfood product into all portions of the container paratus e l d, 1. provide h t tran fer and excluding any air therefrom. The grid will faces on all six sides of th package, ap rat be constructed of metal of sufiicient strength to having this capacity being similar to that shown resist distortion and the container will thus re- 30 in the patent to Cooke, No. 1,614,455, owned by tainits rectangular shape. The material isguickmy assignee. My apparatus, however, is adaptly frozen while in this compressed condition and, able to variations in the size of the package in .when frozen, the grids are removed, the packages order to accommodate products of difierentkinds. displaced therefrom and thereafter pp i '5 In the earlier practice in which superimposed a transparent wrapper that is sealed at the-ends plates were used it was found diflicult to so conand bottom of the package. This leaves the trol the weights of the respective plates that "upper surface of the material entirely visible equal pressure was imposed on the product as through the transparent cover. between lower and upper series of plates. The. The invention will be more readily understood to plates are of relatively great weight, and this toby reference to the accompanying drawings, in 40 gether with the added weight of the brine within which;

the plates and the product testing on the plates, Fig. 1 is a view of a container 'or box suchfas represented a crushing load on the lower plate, contemplated; if notcounterbalanced or equalized. This difi- Fig. 2 shows the box filled with a quantity of culty is avoided in my construction by interposmaterial such as fish fillets; ing forms between the plates, the said forms ab-j- Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing one of the sorbing all the pressure except that required to grids being fi led and being supported on compress the product into the forms. This not wheeled conveyer or truck;

only avoids the stated dimculty but adds the Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the freezer advantage of increasing the heat transfer effect with its plates and the truck in position'to disof the plates due to contact thereof with the charge the gr ds h r into e freezer? metal forms. 5 is a perspective view of the grid after.

Essentially, the method of my invention comhaving been removed from the freezer and in prises the steps of providing an open top conposition to facilitate the removal of thefrozen tainer or box, which may have relatively thin package's therefrom;

i Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the wrapped packages ready for the consumer, and;

Fig. '7 is a sectional view through the freezer showing a section of the grid in. place.

In carrying out the process, I place within the box ii a. quantity of a food-product II, the material being weighed or measured in order to make certain that a predetermined quantity is supplied that will, when compressed, completely fill the box. The boxes when filled as indicated in Fig. 2 are next placed within a grid l2 consisting of a plurality of right-angularly arranged bars providing spaces 13 that are of substantially the size of the boxes Ill. The grid is conveniently rested on a sliding shelf ll carried on guides in a frame l5. This frame may be in the form of a truck having wheels, as best shown in Fig.4. After the containers have been placed as shown in Fig. 3, a sheet of paper I G is placed over the grid and its contents, and thetruck is then wheeled to the freezing cabinet ll, shown in Fig.

4. The elevation of the shelves on the truck is arranged to correspond to the open spaces between the plates I! of the freezer, these plates being hollow and connected by flexible hose or pipes to a source of low temperature fluid. A

hydraulic cylinder I9 is provided to lift the superim'posed plates, compress the material It into the packages and to bring the plates into contact with the grid, as best shown in Fig. 7. This insures heat transfer on all six sides of the package and enables quick freezing of the food product.

After the grids have all been placedin' the freezing cabinet, the doors are closed and the freezing continues until the product is frozen solid. Thereafter, 7 the grids are removed and placed on a stand 20, shown in Fig. 5 where the packages are removed and thereafter wrapped by a machine, not ,shown, the package'having the final appearance shown in Fig. 6. Preferably, the

Wrapping 2| is transparent, and the sealed. overlapping edges of the wrapping are at the ends tamination, although visible tothe purchaser.v

. limits of the container, quick-freezing said food,

and bottom'of the package, thus exposing the entire upper surface of the food product through the transparent cover.

Thus the package is entirely sealed against con- Furthermore, the package is a uniform size and shape and of attractive appearance.

Many of the described steps: of the process may be varied and others of the steps may be substituted by others; for example, the container used in the process may consist merely in a wrapping that serves to separate the food product from the metal heat-transfer surfaces. Or I may in some cases prefer to leave both sides open, in order that inspection may be made by the purchaser of both sides instead of one only. It should be understood, therefore, that I am to be limited only to the extent of the claims submitted.

I claim:

1. The method of preparing foods for the market which consists in placing in an open top container a quantity of said food sufiicient to project somewhat above the sidewalls of. the container,

then placing the filled container in a form having an open top and a space, the lateral and vertical dimensions of which correspond substantially to those i lii he container, then placing said form and container" between refrigerated plates and applying pressure to bring said plates against the form and thereby to compress the food into the then discharging said form and container nd separating the same, and then enclosing said package in a decorative wrapper.

2. The method of preparing foods for the market which consists in placing in an open top container a quantity of said food sufilcient to project somewhat above the side walls of the container, then placing the filled container in a form having an open top and a space, the lateral-and verthe form and thereby to compress the food into the limits of the container, quick-freezing said food, then discharging said form and container and separating the same, and then enclosing said package in a transparent wrapper. v

3. The method of preparingfoods for the market which consists in placing in an open top container a quantity of said food sufiicient to project somewhat above the side walls of the container, then placing the filled container in a form having an open top and a space; the lateral and vertical dimensions of which correspond substantially to those of the container, then protecting the ex-.

posed surface of the food with a removable sheet,

such as paper, then placing said form and con:

tainer between refrigerated plates'and applying pressure to bring said plates against the form and thereby to compress the food into the limits of the container, quick freezing said food. then discharging said form and container and separating\ a predetermined weight of said food without at-' tempting a regular arrangement thereof whereby some portions of the food project above the side' walls of the container and portions of said container are unfilled, then placing the container in a rigid metal form'having an open top and defining therein a space, the lateral and vertical dimensions of which correspond substantially to those oi? the container, then placing said form and container between refrigerated plates and relatively moving the plates to a defined extent to apply pressure and thereby to compress and rearrange the food so that the container is completely filled and then quick freezing said food while maintaining said pressure condition.

5. The method of preparing foods in irregular sizes and shapes for the market which consists in placing in relatively fragile open top containers predetermined weights of said food without attempting a regular arrangement thereof whereby some portions of the food project above the side walls of the containers-and portions of said containers are unfilled, then placing the containers relatively moving the plates to a defined extent I to apply pressure and thereby to compress and rearrange the food so that the containers are completely filled, and then quick freezing said food while maintaining said pressure condition.

-- ROBERT P. FLETCHER, J R. 

